The Phoenix Suns begun their four game preseason slate Friday with an impressive 103-81 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, with The Valley raving about the new roster their front office has assembled. They might be a rebuilding group this coming season - and most likely beyond - but they are also going to be a lot of fun to watch.
With expectations lowered and the roster having gotten younger and more defensive-minded under head coach Jordan Ott, the entire fanbase was united in their belief that the game was the most fun they've had watching the team in years. It certainly felt that way, and it also looks like the Suns are going to catch some opponents by surprise this coming season.
Khaman Maluach outscores Deandre Ayton in center battle.
With news coming out of training camp in the days leading up to the game that big man Mark Williams wouldn't be playing through injury, this was a great opportunity for rookie center Khaman Maluach to show what he could do. He didn't start the game - second year forward Oso Ighodaro deservedly got the nod - but in a 10 minute cameo had four points and six boards.
Maluach's offensive play was much the same as the glimpses we saw in Summer League. That is to say it was raw and didn't consist of a single move that he will be able to turn to every night in order to score. That will come in time, but the four points he did manage were a fair reflection of his output offensively.
Maluach passing the eye test of how enormous he looks on a NBA floor and how fluidly he's moving. Once he figures out where to be and the timing of everything he's going to be a force.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 4, 2025
Yet it was still more than former Phoenix first overall pick Deandre Ayton could muster 18 minutes as a starter for the Lakers, his first game in the purple and gold having been bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason. Devin Booker had been less than impressed with his former teammate when speaking to the media ahead of the game, and he ended up being vindicated.
This was only a small subplot to a fascinating game in which the Suns didn't have Jalen Green and so Booker was able to go off for 24 points. Dillon Brooks also played like the kind of menace fans are going to love. Backup center Nick Richards also gave the Suns some nice minutes, but Maluach outscoring Ayton was undoubtedly the story.
Phoenix rightly caught a lot of stick for trading him away for Jusuf Nurkic, but that now looks vindicated after seeing an offensively-challenged big in Maluach outscore him. Depending on how long Williams is going to be out for, this is hopefully a sign of things to come for the 19-year-old this season too.